Chronomantic Escape + Sphinx of the Second Sun + Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore

Chronomantic Escape

Sphinx of the Second Sun

Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore

How it works

1. Cast Chronomantic Escape by paying 4, causing creatures to be unable to attack you until your next turn, and exiling Chronomantic Escape with three time counters on it.
2. At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, Sphinx of the Second Sun and Glasspool Mimic each trigger, causing you to get two additional beginning phases after this phase.
3. Move to your first additional beginning phase.
4. At the beginning of your upkeep, Chronomantic Escape triggers, removing a time counter from itself.
5. Repeat from step 3 one additional time.
6. At the beginning of your next upkeep, Chronomantic Escape triggers, removing a time counter from itself and causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
7. Resolve Chronomantic Escape, causing creatures to be unable to attack you until your next turn, and exiling Chronomantic Escape with three time counters on it.
8. Repeat from step 2.

This clever lock relies on the unique upkeep-generation powers of Sphinx of the Second Sun to rapidly strip away the time counters from Chronomantic Escape. Because the Sphinx grants multiple additional beginning phases—which neatly include the all-important upkeep steps—you can burn through those suspension counters in a single turn cycle rather than waiting over multiple turns. To ensure you have all the power you need, Glasspool Mimic enters the battlefield as a copy of the Sphinx, doubling up those extra phases and accelerating your timeline even further to keep enemies permanently at bay.